Device to receive excess fuel from carburetor



Jan. 21, 1964 A. L. STONE 3,118,492

DEVICE TO RECEIVE EXCESS FUEL FROM CARBURETOR Filed Dec. 27, 1961 W 1 l l I INVENTOR. I 1 ALBERTL arm 5 'l l w BY QM, J 0 I ATTOR/YE) 6 of such carburetor.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,118,492 Patented Jan. 21, 1964 3,118,492 DEVICE T RECElVE EXCESS FUEL FROM CARBURETOR Albert L. Stone, 133 Hillside, Klamath Falls, Greg, assignor of one-half to Paul L. Krause, Detroit, Mich. Filed Dec. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 162,460 2 Claims. (Cl. 158-363) This invention relates to devices to receive and temporarily store excess fuel from a carburetor of a liquidfueled internal combustion engine, and particularly such devices as are adapted to receive and store such fuel after combustion ceases in said engine, and to surrender such stored fuel to the fuel system of said engine when said combustion occurs.

When the engine stops running, fuel trapped in the fuel line between the fuel pump and the carburetor may expand from heat. Such expansion can increase pressure in the line until the excess fuel is forced into the carburetor float chamber adding to the excess of fuel created by expansion of fuel already in said float chamber. It is desirable when this situation exists to drain off such excess fuel from the carburetor. This avoids wasteful expulsion of such excess fuel into the combustion chambers.

An object of the invention is to provide a receptacle for such excess fuel, and means communicating from said receptacle to the fioat chamber of a carburetor to convey such excess fuel to said receptacle when combustion ceases.

Another object is to provide means communicating from the receptacle to the fuel system to convey such stored fuel to the carburetor of an engine when combustion occurs. 7

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational View in partial section, showing a conventional carburetor and fuel pump and the present invention applied thereto.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on line 22 of FIG. 1 showing a proposed cross-sectional shape of the receptacle.

In these views the reference characters 1 and 2 respectively designate any conventional carburetor and fuel pump, mounted on a liquid-fueled internal combustion engine (not shown). The fuel pump is provided with an intake port 3, and an outlet port 4.

From the latter port, a conduit 5 leads to the carburetor, whereby fuel is conveyed to the float chamber A'fioat 7 is contained within the float chamber, being mounted therein in any conventional manner. An outlet 8 is provided in the wall of the float chamber, and receives one end of a conduit 9 to convey excess fuel from the float chamber to a receptacle 1%. The opening of such conduit within the float chamber is predetermined to establish the fuel level in such chamber.

The receptacle as shown is cylindrical, and has its upper end wall 11 provided with an eccentrically disposed fitting 12 through which is formed an inlet 13 to said receptacle. The conduit 9, of course, tightly connects with said fitting. A fitting 14 is substmtially centrally disposed on said upper end wall. A conduit 15 connects said fitting to a source of suction on the engine; such suction, of course, being created only when combustion occurs in the cylinders of the engine.

A bellows 16 is attached to and beneath said upper end wall 11, within the receptacle it). Suction, acting through the fitting 14 acts to collapse said bellows. A support member 17 is mounted beneath said bellows to mount a needle valve control 13. Diarnetrically opposite from said needle valve is disposed a stop pin 19. When the bellows tends to collapse, the lower portion rises and raises the support member until the needle 18 obstructs the inlet 13. The stop pin engages the upper wall of the receptacle and resists a lopsided collapse of said bellows.

Fixed to and downwardly extended from the support member 17, is a stiff wire, or rod 20. The lower end portion of such wire is slidably received in a sleeve 21, rigidly upstanding from a float 22. A lower needle valve 23 projects rigidly downwardly from the bottom of the float to control an outlet 24 formed in a fitting 25 received in the bottom wall 2s of the receptacle 10.

Said fitting houses a check valve, including a disc 27 and a spring 28 which urges said disc upwardly to close the outlet 24. The lower end portion of the fitting is reduced in diameter and is received in any conventional manner in an end portion of a conduit 29. The opposite end of said conduit connects with a branch of a Y shaped fitting 30 received in the intake port 3 of the fuel pump Z. The other branch of the Y engages an end portion of a conduit 31 through which the pump draws fuel from a fuel supply (not shown).

When an engine has been in operation, and the ignition circuit is broken and combustion ceases, the bellows assumes the position shown in the drawing. The inlet valve 18 descends. Thus, any excess volume of fuel in the carburetor float chamber may fiow out of such chamber through conduit 9 and into the receptacle to be stored therein until combustion occurs again. Such excess of fuel could result from expansion of such fuel due to heat of the engine, or to any excess pumped into the float chamber by operation of the fuel pump by inertial action of the engine after the ignition is broken. The float 22 in the receptable it) is restrained from rising in the stored fuel, by the wire 26.

When the engine is started, and while combustion is occurring therein, suction, acting through conduit 15 tends to collapse the bellows. This action, as aforesaid, draws support member 17 upwardly until the needle valve 18 obstructs the inlet 13. Thus, while the engine is operating, fuel cannot flow from the float chamber 6 to the receptacle 10, regardless of the position of a vehicle on which the invention is installed.

Raising of the support member 17, when the engine is started removes any restraint imposed upon the float 22 in the receptacle, since the wire 2i is also raised. Thus, if there is fuel stored in the receptacle, the float, rising in such fuel, carries the needle 23 upwardly to clear the outlet. Suction of the fuel pump draws down the disc 27 of the check valve, and such stored fuel is drawn from the receptacle. Withdrawal of such fuel allows the float 22 to descend until the needle valve 23 closes the outlet 24 (such descent does not allow the wire 2%} to escape from the sleeve 21). Thus, the fuel pump cannot suck air through the receptacle, which is vented as at 22 through its top cover to afford displacement and replacement of air.

When no further fuel is being drawn through the outlet 24 because the needle valve is closed as aforesaid, the spring 28 is free to urge the disc 27 upwardly to close said outlet against admission of any fuel from the fuel pump.

If desired, the above described invention could be incorporated into the housing of a carburetor. Its construction as an independent unit, however, would be desirable to afford its installation on the numerous vehicles presently existing.

In actual practice, the invention conserves fuel which would otherwise be wasted, and on occasion, when used on an eight cylinder engine of high horsepower, the re ceptacle has received as much as a half-pint of fuel when combustion therein was stopped.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with a carburetor having a float eharn er for an internal combustion engine, and a fuel pump to feed liquid fuel to the float chamber of such carburetor, of

(a) a receptacle to receive any excess heat expanded fuel from said chamber.

(1)) said receptacle being formed with an inlet, conduit means communicating between said inlet and the float chamber to admit a flow of such excess fuel from said chamber to said receptacle, for storage therein,

(c) said receptacle being formed with an outlet to afford withdrawal of fuel so stored (d) means to conduct such withdrawn fuel to the pump for restoration to the fuel system (a) a first valve operable to close said inlet responsive to suction created when combustion occurs in the engine, and to open said inlet when said suction ceases,

(f) a second valve operable to close and to open said outlet (g) means to operate said first and second valves, said means to operate said first valve comprising, a bellows, means communicating from said bellows to a source of suction created by combustion in said en gine, said bellows expanding and contracting due respectively to absence or existence of said suction, means interconnecting the bellows with the means to operate the second valve, and adapted to afford opening of said outlet when the bellows contracts,

and to close said outlet when said bellows expands, or when excess stored fuel is drained from the receptacie, whereby air may not be drawn into said fuel pump,

(/i) said means to operate said second valve to open the outlet being responsive to rising of the fuel level in the rece tacle, said last mentioned means closing the outlet responsive to lowering of the fuel level in the receptacle, and

(1') means venting said receptacle to the atmosphere to altord displacement and rcp.acemcnt of air from and into said receptacle.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, said means to operate the second valve being a buoyant member housed Within said receptacle to float in the fuel therein, and said means interconnecting said bellows and said member restraining said member from floating when said bellows is expanded to close the second valve and alfording such flotation when said bellows contrac to open the second valve.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,409,965 Vdale Oct. 22, 1946 2,6l9,334 Tissier Nov. 25, 1952 2,998,056 Capehart Aug. 29, 1961 FOREIGN lATEi-1TS 1,093,143 Germany Nov. 17, 1960 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A CARBURETOR HAVING A FLOAT CHAMBER FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, AND A FUEL PUMP TO FEED LIQUID FUEL TO THE FLOAT CHAMBER OF SUCH CARBURETOR, OF (A) A RECEPTABLE TO RECEIVE ANY EXCESS HEAT EXPANDED FUEL FROM SAID CHAMBER. (B) SAID RECEPTABLE BEING FORMED WITH AN INLET, CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID INLET AND THE FLOAT CHAMBER TO ADMIT A FLOW OF SUCH EXCESS FUEL FROM SAID CHAMBER TO SAID RECEPTACLE, FOR STORAGE THEREIN, (C) SAID RECEPTACLE BEING FORMED WITH AN OUTLET TO AFFORD WITHDRAWAL OF FUEL SO STORED (D) MEANS TO CONDUCT SUCH WITHDRAWN FUEL TO THE PUMP FOR RESTORATION TO THE FUEL SYSTEM (E) A FIRST VALVE OPERABLE TO CLOSE SAID INLET RESPONSIVE TO SUCTION CREATED WHEN COMBUSTION OCCURS IN THE ENGINE, AND TO OPEN SAID INLET WHEN SAID SUCTION CEASES, (F) A SECOND VALVE OPERABLE TO CLOSE AND TO OPEN SAID OUTLET (G) MEANS TO OPERATE SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVES, SAID MEANS TO OPERATE SAID FIRST VALVE COMPRISING, A BELLOWS, MEANS COMMUNICATING FROM SAID BELLOWS TO A SOURCE OF SUCTION CREATED BY COMBUSTION IN SAID ENGINE, SAID BELLOWS EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING DUE RESPECTIVELY TO ABSENCE OR EXISTENCE OF SAID SUCTION, MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE BELLOWS WITH THE MEANS TO OPERATE THE SECOND VALVE, AND ADAPTED TO AFFORD OPENING OF SAID OUTLET WHEN THE BELLOWS CONTRACTS, AND TO CLOSE SAID OUTLET WHEN SAID BELLOWS EXPANDS, OR WHEN EXCESS STORED FUEL IS DRAINED FROM THE RECEPTACLE, WHEREBY AIR MAY NOT BE DRAWN INTO SAID FUEL PUMP, (H) SAID MEANS TO OPERATE SAID SECOND VALVE TO OPEN THE OUTLET BEING RESPONSIVE TO RISING OF THE FUEL LEVEL IN THE RECEPTACLE, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS CLOSING THE OUTLET RESPONSIVE TO LOWERING OF THE FUEL LEVEL IN THE RECEPTABLE, AND (I) MEANS VENTING SAID RECEPTACLE TO THE ATMOSPHERE TO AFFORD DISPLACEMENT AND REPLACEMENT OF AIR FROM AND INTO SAID RECEPTACLE. 